1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for printing an image on a medium such as, for example, a printing sheet, and particularly to an image forming apparatus having a recording head of an ink-jet system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As this type of image forming apparatus, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-2006-219235, there is known one in which a transport path for transporting a sheet is included in an apparatus main body, and an image is formed by discharging ink from a recording head to the sheet transported through this transport path.
In general, a sheet guide (medium guide) is provided to be separate from and opposite to a recording head, and ink is discharged to a sheet guided along this sheet guide.
At the time of a printing operation, an ink mist is generated around the recording head, and especially the sheet guide is soiled with this ink mist. When the sheet guide is soiled with the ink mist, there is a fear that when a subsequent sheet is guided, the sheet is soiled.
Then, in the related art, the sheet guide is periodically cleaned.
However, in the related art, since the sheet guide is fixedly provided in the apparatus main body, in the case where the sheet guide is cleaned, it has been necessary that a cleaning tool is inserted in the apparatus main body and the work is performed in a narrow space. Thus, there has been a problem that the workability is poor, and the confirmation of a cleaning effect becomes difficult.
Incidentally, as another means for cleaning a sheet guide, a paper for cleaning (for example, a white paper) is made to pass a sheet guide, and the soil of the sheet guide is removed by this paper.
However, in this case, there is a problem that since the paper is wastefully used, this is uneconomical.